&quot;He had it [the reputation] coming out of college,&quot; Trgovac said Tuesday at Super Bowl media day. &quot;I always attribute it to [the fact] he's so smooth and natural. I was his position coach his rookie year, and he was rookie of the year by the way, and he only played 12 games. I did every [college] game on him because we had just been hired there in Carolina and Houston already said they were going to take quarterback David Carr, so we had to choose between Julius and Joey Harrington.

&quot;People always talked about him taking plays off and doing this, but he's just so smooth and natural that he does things so easy that people think he's being lazy. But Julius plays hard. That reputation has always followed him, and maybe will always follow him for his whole career. I don't know, I hope not, because he is a really good guy. He commands a lot of attention. What was really impressive for us [in Carolina] was his work ethic in practice. He busts his but in practice and I don't think the kid ever got enough credit for that.&quot;

In Charlotte, N.C., they still talk about the back-to-back plays Julius Peppers made in a game in Denver in 2004.On third-and-3, he pushed Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer out of bounds on a bootleg after a 2-yard gain. Then on fourth-and-1, he intercepted Plummer's pass and ran it back 97 yards.

That is how Peppers will be remembered by John Fox, the only NFL head coach Peppers has known.&quot;Pep's a heck of a player,&quot; Fox said Monday. &quot;I knew he'd be a guy who would be one of the first to get signed. He hasn't had any injuries. He's clean as a whistle medically. I know he's 30, but he looks just like he did when he was 22.&quot;Fox dispelled the notion that the Bears' new defensive end takes a lot of plays off. He said effort was not a problem for Peppers.&quot;He trains and works hard,&quot; Fox said. &quot;He's a great kid. He's quiet, but he leads by example.&quot;

Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli approached the offseason evaluation of defensive end Julius Peppers with caution.The second overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft, Peppers was a five-time Pro Bowl selection who had racked up 25 sacks in the previous two seasons, yet, during the 2010 offseason, he was an unrestricted free agent.

“We did a lot of homework on him,” Smith said, “and everything came back the same.”Despite his immense NFL success – 81 sacks in his first eight seasons – Peppers was dogged by questions that he wasn’t consistent and that he didn’t fulfill his potential. So Smith wanted to be comfortable that Peppers was going to be a cornerstone defender and not a free-agent disaster.
Smith sought the input of numerous people he trusted, including his friend Ron Meeks, the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator in 2009 and 2010.
“ ‘One of the best guys you will have a chance to coach,’ ” Smith recalled one person telling him. “Everything was positive.”
Peppers was an exception, so the Bears made an exception.

Now that he’s accomplished the change, Peppers wants to finally silence the critics. One NFL coach who worked with Peppers in Carolina, held the same beliefs about a perceived lack of effort from the defensive end.“When we were evaluating before we got him, I thought that too. Then one of our coaches gave me tape from the [2002] combine,” the coach said. “He said watch this one first; then watch Julius. I watched the first guy, he’s straining through this drill, grunting, making all kinds of faces. Right after that, Peppers comes up and goes through the same drill [the coach imitates an effortless run]. Smooth. You look at your watch, and Peppers just smoked the time [of the player in the first drill]. He just makes it look so easy sometimes it looks like he’s not trying.”

Peppers laughed at the story, before agreeing and adding his spin.“You know, I think sometimes certain players – and I don’t name names – but certain players have a certain haircut, they have certain sack celebrations. They draw a lot of attention to themselves. That stuff can make it seem like you’re playing hard when really, you’re playing [about the same] as everybody else,” Peppers said. “You’re just bringing that extra attention to yourself. Just because I go about it mild mannered and I don’t do all of that stuff, maybe that’s something to talk about, too. If you hear [the criticism] from a coach that’s a different story. But I have yet to hear that from a coach. People who say it and watch the game don’t really understand my responsibilities on certain plays. If my play is not to run and chase the ball, if my play is to stay backside, then I’ve got to stay backside. I’ve got to be disciplined. I can’t run across the field and chase stuff that’s not mine. I can’t help that stuff comes easy sometimes; easier than somebody else. So I deal with it and hopefully, after this year, people won’t say that anymore.”Still, critics will justifiably question whether the Bears paid too much for a player who could be entering the crossroads of his career. There’s also the legitimate concern that Peppers -- now that he’s received the big paycheck (he’ll make $40.5 million in the first three years) -- won't be motivated to play hard.“That’s not my moral fiber, my character,” Peppers said. “I’m not above criticism. I can [take that] constructive[ly]; not saying that I believe it’s true. But if that’s something I have a chance to prove people wrong about, then I welcome that criticism. There’s pressure to perform. Being rewarded by this organization in that way only makes me want to play harder and repay them for what they did for me.”

Bears defensive end Julius Peppers is nicknamed &quot;The Freak&quot; because of his extremely rare combination of size and athleticism. But that's not the only key to his success.

In presenting a Brian Piccolo Award to the 6-7, 287-pounder Tuesday at Halas Hall, Bears defensive line coach Mike Phair lauded Peppers' work ethic and attention to detail.

&quot;You see a guy that's one of the better football players that's ever played this game and each and every day in practice he's the first guy in line,&quot; Phair said.

&quot;He works extremely hard and he's very coachable. In meetings, he's a guy that takes great notes. That's one of the things that you could take for granted: 'Hey, I'm a pro. I've been here. I know the system.' But he's taking notes like a rookie. That's very impressive.&quot;
Peppers' attention to detail stems from his desire to continually improve, something he's done throughout his career. Selected by the Carolina Panthers with the second pick in the 2002 draft, he has been voted to eight Pro Bowls, including three in as many years with the Bears.

&quot;I always like to take notes because you never know it all,&quot; Peppers said. &quot;Once you think you know it all, that's when you start falling off. It's always good to try to get a little better every day.&quot;
CSNChicago.com

About this time a year ago Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason was calling out teammate Julius Peppers publicly, raising an issue of Peppers&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; perceived &iuml;&iquest;&frac12;intensity.&iuml;&i
quest;&frac12;

Now he would be very, very happy if Peppers left any intensity back in Chicago when the Bears go to Charlotte to play Peppers&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; former team.

&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;I think Pep is going to go down as one of the best ever,&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; Beason said. &iuml;&iquest;&frac12;Truly a specimen and he&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s an addition to any football team, any defense. The difference is, now that I&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;m playing outside [linebacker], that things are more clear to me how important it is having a big dominant D-end.&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;

Indeed you sometimes don&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;t appreciate what you had &iuml;&iquest;&frac12;til it&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s gone. So it is with Peppers and the Panthers from whom he&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s gone now after eight seasons in Carolina.

Beason, suffering through an 0-3 start then and an 0-4 one now, subsequently explained his comments about Peppers&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; made to a Charlotte radio station. He has gained an even greater appreciation of what Peppers was facing week after week.

&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;I was able to witness it first hand for three years the different schemes Pep had to deal with every Sunday as far as sliding offensive linemen his way and backs chipping in before they went out,&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; Beason said.

&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;It was tough on him but if you&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;re playing opposite him, you should definitely be excited about it because he will definitely command that attention.&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;

But along with the optimism expressed by the fans is the trepidation voiced by skeptics in regard to Peppers' work ethic. It is a label he says dates to his college days, when a coach questioned his desire before the 2002 draft. Peppers still ended up with the Panthers as the No. 2 overall selection.Many wondered if there was validity to the coach's claim when two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jon Beason, Peppers' former teammate in Carolina, went on a Charlotte radio station last season and said he would confront Peppers about playing with more intensity.&quot;Beason … he knew he was wrong for that,'' Peppers says, his tone raised a notch. &quot;I didn't even have to respond to that because as soon as he left the radio station, he came over and apologized.&quot;People that really know me know how I work. You never heard one of my coaches or (other) teammates say anything about my work ethic. And that Beason thing kind of got taken out of context.''Regardless, Peppers knows he has to produce immediate results. He comes to Chicago with 81 career sacks, an average of 10.1 per season, to go with 48 tackles per year. He doesn't want to put a number on sacks this season, although he agrees 10 or more seems reasonable.&quot;A lot of people don't really understand that a statistic is an indicator, but it doesn't really give the full picture of the body of work,'' he says. &quot;There's been time when I've had one sack or no sacks and controlled a whole game, and I've seen other cats get three or four sacks and it had no effect on that game.&quot;My approach is going to be all about winning games. All the rest of that stuff will take care of itself.''
Peppers says if he plays up to his potential, the Bears should make the playoffs. He continues to view himself as another valuable piece rather than the savior, regardless of the hero's welcome he received during his first full week in Chicago.
&quot;The Bears are a little bit more established on the defensive side than in Carolina,'' he says, &quot;and plus, I believe in Jay Cutler. … I see the potential. There's no doubt in my mind that we're going to turn this thing around.''
And Peppers has no doubt that he'll silence his critics.
&quot;If you want to keep saying things, go ahead,'' he says. &quot;I actually want people to keep saying that I take plays off because it's going to keep me on my toes. It's only going to fuel my fire even more.''

And for the record, Peppers signed a 6 year deal worth 91.5 mil deal with 42 mil guaranteed. Williams signed a 100 mil dollar deal with 50 mil guaranteed. Not that big of a difference, but I'm sure the Bills would much rather have Peppers on their team, he may be a bit older, but he is a heck of a lot more dominant than Mary Williams.

After his best game of the season, Julius Peppers flashed a knowing smile when asked the obvious: Had he been redeemed?

“The good thing is, I don’t hear that stuff because I don’t listen to it,” the Bears defensive end said after the 23-20 overtime victory Sunday against the Baltimore &Acirc;&shy;Ravens at Soldier Field.

“That’s the good thing: I try as best as possible to block that stuff out. I don’t hear it, so it doesn’t affect me. Of course it’s out there. This is not my first time doing it, either.

“I’ve had times where people have been on my case about sack numbers, this and that. It’s just one of those things that you kinda get used to.”
The look at Peppers’ face — as if he were smiling while sucking on sour candy — told a different story.

Another reason for Peppers slow start this season is because Peppers has been getting double teamed like crazy with all the injuries to his fellow D linemen, like Henry Melton, Nate Collins, Stephen Paea, etc. He got double teamed a lot in the Giants game, that was a load of **** a few pages back about him not seeing but a couple double teams that game. He's been getting double teamed all season, and on top of that teams have been hitting quick passes dumping the ball off quick negating the Bears pass rush. Peppers is still as dominant as he ever was and he proved so yesterday.

&quot;There is no question the Bears are not getting the production and impact needed from Peppers. I noted in film review following the victory over the Giants that New York double-teamed him only twice and provided chip help against him four times on a total of 23 pass rushes.&quot;

Straight from the fingertips of a fellow UNC fan, &quot;Pepp is being Pepp. He had the reputation for taking plays off in high school, and Bunting benched him for that while he was at Carolina. He did the same with the Panthers&quot;

But I believe the facts would argue that Peppers seems to have elevated his performance from taking plays off, to taking entire games off. Heck, he already has 3 games this year where he hasn't recorded a single statistic.

&quot;Julius Peppers, who will turn 34 at this season's end, has struggled mightily through the team's first six games - registering a combined eight tackles and one sack. He hasn't appeared on the stat sheet for two straight games.&quot;

&quot;The only way to get better is for the athletes on the current roster to play better, which includes Julius Peppers, who was again invisible for most of the game.&quot;

"Julius Peppers, who will turn 34 at this season's end, has struggled mightily through the team's first six games - registering a combined eight tackles and one sack. He hasn't appeared on the stat sheet for two straight games."

"The only way to get better is for the athletes on the current roster to play better, which includes Julius Peppers, who was again invisible for most of the game."

— Posted by Dr. PwntV2

... ... ... yes, like ole' Roy he sadly doesn't realize when it's over, for it's truly time to just get out.

"There is no question the Bears are not getting the production and impact needed from Peppers. I noted in film review following the victory over the Giants that New York double-teamed him only twice and provided chip help against him four times on a total of 23 pass rushes."

I watched the game and don't agree with fat dumb Biggs, Peppers also got double teamed quite often that game against the run making it harder for him to get a tackle as well. Also the Giants running away from Peppers side didn't help either.

The same above can be said in Peppers other two games that he didn't record any stats. But regardless, stats aren't everything, Peppers can have an impact from just being on the field and taking on double teams to allow his teammates to make plays, as well as forcing the other team to have to account for him and game plan for him thus limiting the things they normally like to do, like fewer multiple wide receiver sets, and running in the opposite direction of Peppers, as well as less bootlegs to Peppers side and stretch plays to Peppers side because of his athleticism. Peppers impacts games more so than Stupid Biggs and the other average stupid media pundit realizes.

Very similar contracts, but regardless, that just shows how desperate the Bills were to sign a pass rusher. But if it's all about money, I guess Albert fat Haynesworthless is just as good as Mary Williams considering he signed a 100 million dollar contract with the Redskins.

Peppers stats, accolades, and overall production PROVE he is much more dominant than Mary Williams.

Straight from the fingertips of a fellow UNC fan, "Pepp is being Pepp. He had the reputation for taking plays off in high school, and Bunting benched him for that while he was at Carolina. He did the same with the Panthers"

"Julius Peppers, who will turn 34 at this season's end, has struggled mightily through the team's first six games - registering a combined eight tackles and one sack. He hasn't appeared on the stat sheet for two straight games."

"The only way to get better is for the athletes on the current roster to play better, which includes Julius Peppers, who was again invisible for most of the game."

— Posted by Dr. PwntV2

See prior above posts, and I'll throw in that I overheard Phil Simms say this past Sunday during the Bears Ravens game that he talked to Peppers and Peppers told him he feels much more rejuvenated on Sundays lately because he hasn't been practicing every day and wearing his body down during the process. I look forward to seeing Peppers dominate the rest of the season, and make his 9th Pro Bowl at seasons end.

Of course, not all the defensive stars in Sunday's win were inexperienced players. Veteran end Julius Peppers recorded a career-high 12 tackles along with two sacks and two tackles-for-loss.

&quot;He's obviously gaining strength and momentum,&quot; Trestman said. &quot;Really his energy level was consistent throughout the game. We all had a sense during the week that this was going to be a game that he was going to turn it up. It was good to see.

&quot;We've chatted in my office a couple of times, just to catch up on things. I just feel like he's got a lot of pride in this football team. He doesn't want to let it down. He's done everything he can to get himself ready and I think we've managed his practice time very well.

&quot;Mel [Tucker] and Mike Phair have managed his practice time very well to make sure that at this stage of his career his best is on Sunday. He's going to know what to do and how to do it. But he's ready to give his best on Sunday and we got a little bit of that [against the Ravens].&quot;

&quot;In October, one of his teammates made headlines when he told a Charlotte radio station he wanted more out of the former North Carolina standout. &quot;The pressure is what you want to see ... the intensity,&quot; said linebacker Jon Beason. At the time, Peppers had one sack and the Panthers were 0-3.&quot;

&quot;Here's hoping, both for Peppers' sake and the sake of his soon-to-be new team, that his next team has vocal leaders capable of getting the best out of Peppers. Clearly, he isn't always capable of getting the best out of himself.&quot;

Again, he takes plays off (or entire games, as is the case with this season), even your own fans admit it. I'm just pointing out that he hasn't performed anywhere near how his team needs him to this season and the amount of cap room he takes up only amplifies it.

"In October, one of his teammates made headlines when he told a Charlotte radio station he wanted more out of the former North Carolina standout. "The pressure is what you want to see ... the intensity," said linebacker Jon Beason. At the time, Peppers had one sack and the Panthers were 0-3."

"Here's hoping, both for Peppers' sake and the sake of his soon-to-be new team, that his next team has vocal leaders capable of getting the best out of Peppers. Clearly, he isn't always capable of getting the best out of himself."

Again, he takes plays off (or entire games, as is the case with this season), even your own fans admit it. I'm just pointing out that he hasn't performed anywhere near how his team needs him to this season and the amount of cap room he takes up only amplifies it.

About this time a year ago Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason was calling out teammate Julius Peppers publicly, raising an issue of Peppers&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; perceived &iuml;&iquest;&frac12;intensity.&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;

Now he would be very, very happy if Peppers left any intensity back in Chicago when the Bears go to Charlotte to play Peppers&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; former team.

&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;I think Pep is going to go down as one of the best ever,&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; Beason said. &iuml;&iquest;&frac12;Truly a specimen and he&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s an addition to any football team, any defense. The difference is, now that I&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;m playing outside [linebacker], that things are more clear to me how important it is having a big dominant D-end.&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;

Indeed you sometimes don&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;t appreciate what you had &iuml;&iquest;&frac12;til it&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s gone. So it is with Peppers and the Panthers from whom he&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s gone now after eight seasons in Carolina.

Beason, suffering through an 0-3 start then and an 0-4 one now, subsequently explained his comments about Peppers&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; made to a Charlotte radio station. He has gained an even greater appreciation of what Peppers was facing week after week.

&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;I was able to witness it first hand for three years the different schemes Pep had to deal with every Sunday as far as sliding offensive linemen his way and backs chipping in before they went out,&iuml;&iquest;&frac12; Beason said.

&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;It was tough on him but if you&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;re playing opposite him, you should definitely be excited about it because he will definitely command that attention.&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;

And, we can already tell which one is the HIGHEST paid defender to EVER play the game.

Pansies HATE facts, and much prefer their own lil pansy opines.

#ToughBreakPansy

:)

— Posted by WPIDaHizzy

Ummm, who cares if he is the highest current paid defensive player, his contract will surely eventually be passed and some other defender will get a bigger contract. So when the dust settles, and both Peppers and Mary Williams careers have finished, give me the guy with the most tackles, sacks, stuffs, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, interceptions, passes defensed, defensive touchdowns, blocked kicks, pro bowls, all-pro teams, and other accolades. And that my friend will be Peppers, who will be remembered as one of the most dominant defensive players of all time. Mary Williams will be remembered as an underachieving number one draft pick. LOL.

And, we can already tell which one is the HIGHEST paid defender to EVER play the game.

Pansies HATE facts, and much prefer their own lil pansy opines.

#ToughBreakPansy

:)

— Posted by WPIDaHizzy

Ummm, who cares if he is the highest current paid defensive player, his contract will surely eventually be passed and some other defender will get a bigger contract. So when the dust settles, and both Peppers and Mary Williams careers have finished, give me the guy with the most tackles, sacks, stuffs, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, interceptions, passes defensed, defensive touchdowns, blocked kicks, pro bowls, all-pro teams, and other accolades. And that my friend will be Peppers, who will be remembered as one of the most dominant defensive players of all time. Mary Williams will be remembered as an underachieving number one draft pick. LOL.

Peppers >>> Mary Williams.

— Posted by PredatorPeppers

Not to mention contiue to be on everyones list of &quot;overpaid&quot; players.